The Green Party's announcement on abortion sends signals

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OPINION:
This week the most ironic and desperately sad press release in New Zealand's history came out.

The Green Party announced it would legalise abortion and allow it up until birth in some cases.

First, let me point out that after searching its website, I could not find an ounce of scientific research, or even reference to scientific research, pointing out why a baby is not a living human until it is born. I've been looking for the evidence myself for quite some time, and will become a supporter of abortion once someone gives me proof we are not, in fact, committing murder when we abort our children.

But back to the announcement. First, the party announced it "trusts women to make decisions that are best for them and their whanau/family". Presumably, men cannot be trusted with making decisions, nor are the children they produce part of "their" families. Men, according to this press release, are simply fertislisers. Once the job is done, they have no rights.

Next, the party says decriminalising abortion "will reduce the stigma and judgement that surrounds abortion". Presumably Jan Logie, who put the release out, forgot that in 2012 she approved a press release about abortion which read "the majority of New Zealanders are comfortable with our laws". So is there a stigma around abortion, or have most New Zealanders accepted it as normal? We currently carry out 15,000 abortions a year in New Zealand. How many more lives do the Greens demand as evidence there is no stigma around abortion?

The Green Party would also allow abortions up to birth "when the woman would otherwise face serious permanent injury to her health or in the case of severe fetal abnormalities".In other words, the Green Party is fine with aborting people as long as they are disabled. Next, Logie goes on to announce her party would like to "address discrimination against disabled people that exists in the current laws around abortion". In one breath Logie pushes anti-disability eugenics, and decries discrimination on the basis of disability. Someone ought to point out to her that we won't need anti-discriminatory laws if her party gets its way, because we would have killed all the disabled people before they even had a chance to be born.

The party also says women should have access to "neutral counselling" if they want it. The Green Party definition of "neutral" suddenly becomes clear when you drill down into the policy on their website. Medical practitioners who disagree with abortion are "required to refer the patient to a neutral practitioner in a timely manner". But those who agree with abortion are not. Presumably, then, disagreement with abortion is "bias" and agreement with abortion is "neutral".

Ironically, another press release on the party's website, listed right next to the announcement reads: "Fringe and vigilante behaviour needs to be shut down. We don't want extreme American-style abortion opposition in New Zealand."

Neither, presumably, would we want fringe and vigilante American-style abortion activists in New Zealand. But the Greens are bringing it anyway.